


Jade Mother

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-07
Updated: 2012-08-07
Packaged: 2017-11-11 14:56:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/479720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Dolorosa and her little grub.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jade Mother

It was a cold desert night. 

A young jadeblood cautiously made her way across the sands, trying her best not to trip as she held the slumbering grub close to her breast. A blanketing of clouds above shrouded the moons and the stars, which only made things more difficult for the Dolorosa, her eyes adjusted to a life in the sun. The woman softly kissed the mutant grub on his head, smiling happily before then moving onwards, relying on carefully feeling the ground to make it across the shifting dunes. She'd attempted to keep her footing as well as she could, her naked toes sinking into the sand as she pushed ahead. Her elegant jade dress was now completely covered with dust, though at this point she no longer cared. The Dolorosa's focus in life now was centered solely on protecting the grub, and she would do everything to ensure his survival. 

Had she not fortuitously stumbled upon that crater, the grub would have been torn apart by predators, or scorched to death beneath the blistering Alternian sun. From the very moment she laid eyes on him, the Dolorosa immediately felt she knew what to do; give up everything and raise him as her own. It was quite the daring move indeed. As a jadeblood, she was bred to serve the sacred Mother-Grub, and here she had utterly abandoned it for the sake of a mutant.... And yet, she felt almost no guilt or shame in it. Never once did she consider going back. The tunnels were beyond cruel and wretched, especially with the wails of dying children and savage, monstrous lusii. 

Worse still, they were under the stern watch of the Imperial Drones stationed there, always swift to punish even the smallest of transactions. Many a fellow jadeblood she once knew had died unfairly, and she'd wanted no more of it. Another harsh wind suddenly blew past her back, breaking the Dolorosa's thoughts up. She firmly held the grub closer to her, moving a bit of her shawl over to lightly blanket him as the winds intensified. She hoped that a sandstorm would not set in, especially here in this thick, blinding darkness, and carefully began scanning the horizon for any signs of shelter. Alas, there was nothing in sight but near endless miles of dune upon dune. Sighing out, the Dolorosa moved onwards, carefully feeling each and every step she took. Poor night-vision wasn't going to stop her, and she hoped in time that her eyes would adapt to the darkness. 

The red sands underfoot were loose and grainy, though the sensation was pleasantly familiar, reminding the Dolorosa of her youth running errands in the desert. It was a welcomed change from the smooth cave floors of the brooding caverns, and she was happy to have returned above-ground. Nothing would make her return to those horrible tunnels ever again. The Dolorosa wasn't exactly sure how long she'd been walking; only that it had been quite a while, the sky above darkening considerably. She was thankful that it would still be a while before the sun rose, as much as she had missed the sight of it.

Her bare feet were sore, the muscles on her strong, lengthy legs tired and aching. She hadn't slept since she'd found the grub hours ago, and she was thankful that the night had just set in, even despite the darkness. Though she could withstand the sun, there was no guarantee the grub would. There was another, far more pressing concern at the back of her mind; by now, the Drones would likely have become aware by now that a jadeblood was missing, and there was the chance several would have come up above ground in search of her. 

Grueling enslavement was just one of the punishments for abandoning the Mother-Grub, and this mutant grub would have been culled on sight, his rich candy-red blood likely to be used as an exotic type of paint... The Dolorosa shook her head, pushing those horrid thoughts back. The Dolorosa began to run faster, her heart racing as she tried not to think of them. She was totally unarmed, and with a grub in tow, dealing with an entire search party of Drones would not have gone well. She stopped, glancing backwards and squinting, happy to find that nothing was following them. Outside of the lightly blowing breeze, the desert was silent. She found this rather calming, her heart steadying down as she breathed out gently. The grub shifted slightly, still deep in his pleasant slumber. She couldn't stop from smiling again, kissing him on the head as she hugged him closely. 

Walking over towards the north, the Dolorosa then squinted, noticing what looked like the outline of a rock not far away. She hurried on towards it, holding the grub closer to her as she struggled up across a dune ahead of them. Ignoring the winds blowing sand into her eyes, she eventually managed to reach the top, stumbling over towards the rock and immediately collapsing down onto it as she breathed out in relief. It felt wonderful to rest her legs at last, stretching them out as she shut her eyes and reclined her body against it, resting her head on the cool rock as ran her fingers through the child's hair. 

He shifted slightly once again, his tiny legs twitching out as she gently rubbed his scalp. The Dolorosa smiled once more. Everything about this little grub just made her so happy, and she wanted nothing more than to nurture and protect him until one day, she'd seem him grow big and strong. Feelings like these were unnatural for trolls, of course, yet she constantly grew too fond of the grubs she'd tend to.... Which made it all the more heartbreaking when they were taken away and forced into the Trials, wherein most never returned. She wasn't ever going to let that happen again, for as long as she still breathed, she would guard and protect this grub with every fiber of her being. 

After a few minutes of needed rest, the Dolorosa felt ready to get back up again, stretching her body out standing up over the edge of the rock, surveying the landscape. She was happy to find that the clouds were clearing away, freeing up the great legions of stars and the two moons, helping alongside them to illuminate the way. It had just been so long that she'd seen the sky or felt the cool winds blow against her, it was almost overwhelming. She eventually brought herself back down, focusing back on her earthly duties. This was no time for distractions.

Climbing down, the Dolorosa then moved on towards the left, part of her shawl catching on the branches of a thorny shrub. She pulled away carefully, disregarding the minor tears on the hem. There was no use fussing over clothing, what mattered was ensuring her charges didn't get hurt. Being a jadeblood, she would also be capable of withstanding a good deal of injury, though of course there was no way the grub would survive an assault. Grubs were very weak prior to pupating, and he still looked to be especially young. Her mind drifted on another worry; how would she feed him? She definitely knew what grubs needed for sustenance, but finding food in this arid desert wouldn't be an easy matter. If she fed him well, it would only be a few days at most until he would pupate. Taking down something like a whole hoofbeast was enough, but she wouldn't be able to hunt while holding the grub! She pushed the thoughts off, deciding that her main priority now would be finding them shelter.

The winds grew heavier, and with them, the threat of a sudden sandstorm. She pulled more of her shawl over the sleeping grub, wishing that she had something better to shield him with. Suddenly, the Dolorosa stopped in her tracks, eyes widening as an idea came to mind. She carefully seated herself down on the sand, holding the grub with one arm as she then used her teeth to begin tearing off a large part of her sleeve, before gently wrapping it around the length of the grub's body until he was neatly cocooned, his sleeping head sticking out, still deep in sleep. She beamed happily, kissing him on the forehead before getting back up. Crude as it was, it served as a good enough covering for now. She didn't care about her exposed arm or her damaged dress, for she could easily replace clothing after all. But the life of this precious grub mattered more than anything, and though she wasn't exactly a traditional Lusus, the Dolorosa was going to try her best to serve an excellent custodian... 

No matter what.

Attempting to ignore the aching in her limbs, the Dolorosa continued onwards, absolutely unsure of where she was going. All she knew was that she needed shelter, and at this rate it would seem she'd be wandering until her body finally gave out. Her eyes scanned about nervously, barely able to make out anything other than the vague, dark outlines of protruding rocks and rising dunes. The once comforting silence had slowly grown more and more unnerving, and the jadeblood couldn't help but feel as if she was being watched or followed. Anything could have been lurking unseen in the darkness, especially given her currently poor vision. She picked up the pace, sand grinding beneath her soles as she ran faster and faster through the darkness, her heart beating faster as her anxiety soared. She knew that undead prowled these deserts, and there was no way she could handle an entire group, especially with the grub in tow. And if there were Drones just happening to be tracking them... 

Distracted by the thoughts, Maryam noticed the rock all too late, her foot catching over it and causing her to trip over. Thankfully she managed to hold the grub close, protecting him as she hit the sands. He thankfully wasn't roused from his slumber, though she did sustain a minor scrape on her ankle. It was easily ignored, even despite the light amounts of her jade blood running out, and she soon got back up, not even bothering to dust the sand off her shawl. She needed to keep moving. She was careful to ensure her steps would be slower this time, eying the ground carefully for any other rocks before looking up towards the sky, momentarily stopping as she began watching the stars yet again, enchanted by how they twinkled and shone. Part of her hoped that some day she could seat with this grub and teach him all about the stars above. Unfortunately that was still rather far off, though she would greatly anticipate that day.

Sighing out sadly, the woman then continued onwards, scolding herself for being so easily distracted. Her eyes had only slightly begun adjusting to the dark, allowing her to make out her surroundings better. The ground here was even and flat, having left the rolling dunes behind for more rocky terrain. She could feel small, sharp pebbles underfoot, wincing slightly at how uncomfortable they were. Coarse as they were, her soles were still rather sensitive, something she'd found useful when living in the dark brooding caverns, relying mainly on touch to make her way around. 

Moving through the desert like this was more difficult though, in part due to how wide everything was. The tunnels at least had been easier enough to memorize, especially considering the time she'd spent down there. It had to have been more than several solar sweeps, and she was just happy that it was all over at last. Her eyes scanned through the barren wasteland, looking for anything at all that could have served as shelter. Her muscles were almost burning at this point, and she could barely even keep her eyelids open, fearing that she could collapse from exhaustion at any moment. Breathing in, she perked up and attempted to move on, trying her best to keep alert and awake. The sky above only continued to darken, though by now her eyes had adjusted better to the darkness. Avoiding another shrub, the Dolorosa continued walking for what felt like ages, more pebbles churning beneath her step as she winced slightly, trying to ignore how uncomfortable it was. 

After several minutes, she vaguely made out something in the ground a few feet away and immediately ran towards it, stopping in her tracks as she saw what it was; a hole, wide enough in diameter to fit her entire tall body through. The Dolorosa stood still, relieved at the fact that she had spotted it before she could accidentally fall in. Moving in closer to the edge, she peeked down inside, finding only pitch darkness below. Anything could have been lurking down there, yet it was also her best chance for shelter by now. Breathing in, the Dolorosa shifted her body slightly, raising her dress up as she carefully lowered her leg down. Not long after, she felt her toes come into contact with smooth limestone rock, suggesting that it would be safe to drop in. She carefully got up, taking a few steps back before taking a deep breath. Glancing back down to the grub in her arms, she then took in another breath and jumped down, landing directly on her posterior.

Neither she nor the grub sustained any injuries, thankfully. She shifted herself upwards, noting that the hole was but a few feet above. Examining her surroundings, the Dolorosa found she felt rather cramped inside the tunnel, unable to fully stand up due to her great height. The hole seemed wide enough to allow her to stretch her legs at least, and it was cozy enough to serve as a resting place. The Dolorosa glanced up at the hole, noting that the sky was visible as she suddenly realized this might the sun's rays could shine in and potentially harm the grub. This drove her to crawl deeper into the tunnel, moving away from the hole until she was up against a wall. She was not going to take any risks, and she noticed the tunnel seemed to extend in deeper still. Breathing in, she slowly shut her eyes, curling up comfortably as she kissed the grub once more on his cheek, smiling yet again. After some time, the Dolorosa eventually gave into the call of sleep....

-

_Iron chains held her to the dead tree, rough bark burnt black. It grew in the middle of this vast, empty desert, devoid of any or all signs of life whatsoever. Her finely sewn dress had been reduced to tatters, her strong body covered in numerous scars, leaking out large amounts of immaculate jade blood onto the sands while she struggled. Try as she might, the Dolorosa could not break free of her chains, the cuffs only digging in deeper and deeper into her skin. She glanced up to the orange sky, observing the clouds softly drift by as they approached from the horizon; dozens of Imperial Drones._

_She fought on harder, screaming out in anguish as the chains continued to painfully tighten against her ankles and wrists, rendering her helpless as watched begin to fly in closer. Though her body was wracked with pain she continued to fight against the chains binding her, which only resulting in the cuffs bringing her in towards the tree, constricting around her waist like a great serpent. She felt the air knocked out of her lungs, coughing out light amounts of blood as it wrapped around tighter and tighter, almost threatening to break her ribs. Painful as it was, she did not stop, refusing to remain chained up and helpless. No matter what they chose to do to her, Maryam would never give in._

_It was not long until they landed, kicking up clouds of dust as they then encircled the tree. They proceeded to all begin banging their metallic fists together as if performing a bizarre ceremony. She cried out before fearlessly spitting at them, unafraid of any repercussions. After a moment, the Drones soon stopped, the desert silent but for the sounds of the Dolorosa's heavy breathing. Her eyes moved across the circle of crimson Drones surrounding her, hatefully glaring at them as she spat out once more as she clenched her teeth and struggled against the chains once again. The Drones in front of her then slowly shifted, stepping aside for one that was approaching forward. It held something small in its great, fearsome arms, which wiggled and twitched ever so slightly. Her eyes widened in dull terror as she realized what it was, the confirmation coming from when the drone threw it right by her feet.._

_Her grub._

_They had her grub._

_He was wrapped in a light red cloth, tightly enough so that all his legs were firmly bound. He wiggled helplessly in the sands, struggling as hard as his little body could as candy-red tears streamed down his wailing face. This instantly drove the Dolorosa into a furious panic, struggling harder than she ever had to break free of the chains they only tightened themselves furthermore, so much so that she could barely breathe before breaking down into tears just like her grub. She attempted to beg for his life, despite how difficult it was to speak with her body so tightly bound. Alas, her begs went unanswered. The Drones remained still and silent._

_Moments passed. Time here seemed to move so slowly, each second dragging painfully dragging along. The tense air was filled only with the signs of the grub's wailing, and the Dolorosa's desperate attempts at breaking free, wanting nothing more than to break free and save her grub. Suddenly, one of the Drones began to step forward, slowly stomping over towards the grub. Maryam's eyes began to widen once again as she watched the drone then stop but a few feet away from the grub, staring down at it with its featureless head as he continued to wiggle and cry helplessly, screeching in terror. All around them, the Drone's immediately began banging their fists together, stomping onto the ground as if engaged in a tribal dance. The noise barely drowned out the grub's crying, and as Maryam continued to struggle and fight with all of her might, she watched as the Drone in-front of them raised its foot. It happened in an instant, the Dolorosa too numb with shock to do or say anything as the Drone stomped down on her precious grub, silencing him as blood sprayed out in a shower of crims-_

\- 

The Dolorosa woke with a start, screaming wildly. Her heart pounded in her chest intensely, sweat pouring as she breathed in and out rapidly, trying to calm herself down. It was just a nightmare, a particularly horrible one, but nothing more. Sunlight beamed down from the hole above, illuminating the tunnel. It was daytime now. The sight of the sun after so long underneath those wretched brooding caverns was welcomed, and it helped to calm her down greatly... Until she realized that she was not holding the grub anymore. Staring down at her empty hands, all she saw was the cloth torn to shield him. He'd somehow managed to wiggle out of it while she slept. The Dolorosa's first reaction was panic, her eyes darting across the cramped tunnel for any signs of him. The once comforting ray from above quickly turned into a sign of terror as she recalled the danger it would have posed to him, and she quickly scrambled onto the ground, crawling about in a desperate attempt to find him. Her chest felt hollow, her mind growing blank as the world around her just seemed to slow down, unable to think properly from the sheer panic as all sorts of thoughts rushed through her mind; where was he? Where could he have possibly gone? How could she have been so CARELESS!? 

Leaning against the walls, she proceeded to break down crying, unable to believe that this was happening. Her sobbing ceased the moment she felt a light rustling by her feet, causing her to look downwards where she was greeted by the sight of her grub poking his head from out beneath her shawl, squeaking happily. She instantly jumped down and scooped him up into her arms, holding him as closely to her chest as she could. Tears continued to stream further down her cheeks, for the relief she was feeling almost unimaginable. She peppered his head with numerous soft kisses, her heart beating so strongly that the grub shook lightly, curling up in her gentle embrace. No, there was no way she was letting him out of her sight ever again. That false alarm alone almost brought her into a nervous breakdown; how would she manage if something DID happen to him? Staring at the grub, the Dolorosa decided it was best not to think of that. 

She sat in silence for some time, shutting her eyes in peace as the grub playfully wiggled around in her arms. After a few moments, the Dolorosa then decided to shift her body, moving away from the wall and lying down on her stomach, raising her legs into the air. She felt her soles touch against the ceiling, having forgotten how cramped she'd felt inside here. Shaking her head, she ignored it, raising the grub into the air as she watched him giggle and squeak happily, a wide smile spreading over her face. Placing him down on the floor, the first thing he did was attempt to crawl away, skittering about on each of his legs before staring over towards the ray of sunlight, apparently fascinated by it. She quickly pulled him away, curling back up against the wall as she nervously stared at the light. He was far too young to understand just how dangerous the sun was, and she was fortunate he hadn't crawled underneath it. Staring back at her grub, she then noticed that he was lightly gnawing at her sleeve, wiggling his legs out as drool lightly oozed from his mouth... 

He was hungry. Looking up at the ceiling, and then back towards him, the Dolorosa sighed out. She needed to find food, but she couldn't leave him alone here either! She wracked her brains for an answer, holding the grub close to her as her eyes remained glued onto the ceiling. She had to make a decision, but what? Grubs needed food to eat, but finding food meant leaving him down here alone. What if he'd crawled underneath the beam of sunlight while she was out?! Glancing down at her shawl, an idea then crept into her mind. Carefully shifting her body, the Dolorosa then put him on the ground. She pointed at the ray of sunlight, gesturing to the grub not to go anywhere near it. He didn't seem to understand of course, only crawling nearer towards and lightly nudging against her legs. The Dolorosa sadly stared down at him, afraid of leaving but painfully aware that she had no other choice. Crawling over towards the hole, she proceeded to begin fidgeting with the supports on her shawl, loosening them until she felt them come undone as she then shed it off, naked save only for her underpants. 

She didn't feel very embarrassed. The grub was too young to have noticed a thing, and she wasn't very ashamed of her body whatsoever. Staring at herself, she still couldn't help but blush a little. Her brasserie exposed more of her cleavage than she was comfortable with, and her panties hugged tightly to her hips. Still, the grub was more preoccupied with playing underneath her discarded shawl, his mind filled only with young, innocent thoughts. The Dolorosa beamed once again, her heart fluttering at the sight. This mutant grub was truly the most precious thing in her world, which meant that leaving him was going to be hard. She continued to watch the grub play, her eyes occasionally darting upwards to the ceiling. Her heart was heavy at the thought of leaving, but she had to find them food.

Breathing in, she moved over towards her dress, lightly picking it up as she watched the grub roll away, winding up on his back as he playfully wiggled his legs into the air, cooing all the while. The Dolorosa leant over to kiss him one more time, ruffling his soft hair gently before grabbing the dress and crawling over towards the sunlight. She stopped momentarily when she felt something nudge against her ankle, turning around to find that it was her grub. He clearly didn't want her to leave. She sighed, attempting to softly shoo him back, only to find that he begun digging his stubby little teeth into the heel of her dirty foot, almost as if he was attempting to pull her back. It didn't hurt whatsoever, though having to leave did. She picked him up once more, holding the grub into a tight hug as she started quietly sobbing. 

Leaving him alone not long after that nightmare was heart-wrenching, but she just couldn't risk him being harmed by the sun. After what felt like ages, the Dolorosa eventually put the grub back down, placing him in a corner as far away from the sunlight as she could before moving over towards it. Taking one last sad glance at her grub, she eventually moved underneath the light, feeling the warm ray touch her skin before she jumped upwards, crawling through the hole to the desert above. She raised a hand up to her face, shielding her eyes from the sudden rush of searing light. She was practically blind, her eyes aching with pain as she attempted to stand up, only to fall over flat on the sands. After a short while, she quickly adjusted to the brightness around her, wiping away tears as she stared up at the sky for the first time in sweeps... 

The Sun. 

Oh how long it had been since she'd felt the sun. 

Its gentle rays beamed down on her half-naked body, the heat so welcomed after spending so long beneath cold, dank caverns. The sky was a clear blue, white clouds sluggishly drifting across its gorgeous expanse. It was a breathtaking sight indeed, though the Dolorosa quickly had to focus herself away from and back to her goal; finding food. She slowly stood up, blinking against the brightness as she stumbled across the sands. Surveying her surroundings, the Dolorosa was amazed by how different everything looked under the sunlight. The sand dunes seemed to roll on endlessly, and she could make out faint outlines in the distance. Trees, perhaps? Trees meant fruit, and fruit meant food. It was definitely worth the trek, though they seemed quite far away. 

Staring back at the hole, the Dolorosa shook her head, attempting to focus herself. She only managed to walk a few feet before she ran back towards the hole, kneeling down and making sure the dress was plugged in well enough. What if came loose while she was out? What if a predator stumbled on it? What if it wasn't adequate enough to seal the hole fully? She shut her eyes, clenching her teeth as she attempted to push away those thoughts away. Worrying wasn't going to help her... But she couldn't help but do it anyway. Sighing, she seated herself down on the ground, disregarding the fact that some of it was getting into her panties. Showing so much skin really didn't bother her, especially out here in the desert. The sensation of hot sands against her exposed flesh was slightly uncomfortable, but she reveled in it. It was such a welcomed difference from cold cavern walls, down there in those wretched tunnels...

She shook her head, quickly getting up and dusting her body off. Looking back towards the hole, all she could do was ponder as to what to do next. She paced around it for some time, nervously staring at the dress crudely sealing it. Staring to her right, she suddenly noticed something in the rocky wasteland, causing her to quickly run towards it, ignoring the small stones uncomfortably grinding underfoot. Rocks! There were rocks all around her, several of which seemed large enough to seal up the top of the hole. This was much better than using her shawl, indeed! Rubbing her hands, the Dolorosa knelt over and began to drag a large rock over towards the hole. It was large enough not to fall in, but not wide enough to fully seal it. 

It took her a few minutes to fully drag it across the sands, but her arms were strong enough to handle it well enough. Pulling her shawl out of the hole, she proceeded to move the rock over it, sealing it up much more effectively than her dress could have. She should have thought of this earlier, but then panic had taken good hold of her mental faculties. It took her another minute to put the dress back on, disregarding how creased and dirty it had gotten. It was just a dress, after all. Now fully clothed, the Dolorosa carefully got up once more, staring over towards the trees in the distance as she headed on towards them. The desert was silent, save for the sounds of her soft steps. It was hot enough so that the sands almost felt like coals with every step she took, and she was starting to sweat profusely. Her dress wasn't designed for desert trawling, but she was far too exposed without it. She thought about perhaps sitting down and tailoring it to be a little more light-weight, but that would have to come later. The "trees" were still but vague outlines, though she had only been walking for a short while now. 

She climbed up over a small dune, moving against the loose sands as she attempted to keep her footing stable. Sliding down the dune, she noticed the terrain became much flatter, her eyes following small cracks spreading out across the arid earth. A dried up river bed. She opted to follow it, hoping it would wind over towards the trees, or perhaps lead to a flowing river? The ground here was soft and dry, more stable than the sands and slightly more pleasant underfoot. Each step she took left deep imprints, and she found she could use them to find her way back to the hole. Making her way through the river bed, she noticed the ground grow steeper and steeper, small rocks jutting out haphazardly. Watching her steps, the Dolorosa then carefully made her way across the riverbed, finding some pleasure in the way the soft, dry ground felt underfoot. 

The Dolorosa couldn't calculate how much time she spent walking through the riverbed, only that it was quite a while. The sky was still the same gorgeous hue of blue, though now several small, wispy clouds had appeared across it. She stared at them sluggishly drift by before looking away, enchanted by the sight of the sky after living so long underground. Shaking her head, the Dolorosa scolded herself once more for being so easily distracted and continued on her way. There were no signs of life anywhere around her, plant or animal. All she could see was sand and rocks, though the 'trees' in the distance did seem to be growing closer. As she continued onwards, perspiring furiously as the sun's hot rays beamed down on her. Though Jadebloods withstood heat much better than the other castes, she was still feeling very hot. Putting the dress back on may have been a bad idea, but it was too late for that now. She needed to keep on moving. 

Continuing onwards, her thoughts drifted back to the grub. Was he alright? How scared was he down there alone, in the darkness? What if the rocks fell in?! She abruptly stopped to shake her head as she attempted to calm down, feeling her heart race anxiously. Maryam couldn't stop from taking one nervous glance back behind, breathing out in relief as she noted the tracks she'd left behind were still intact. All she needed to do was find food and follow her steps back. Breathing in, she felt her heart slow down, heading on towards the distance. Finally, after what like long, arduous ages, she was but a few miles away from the trees, noting in happy surprise that she had found a tranquil little oasis, the only bastion of life in this dead wasteland. 

The waters were an invitingly sparkling blue, reflecting the color of the sky above, and the trees around were decorated with gorgeous purple leaves. She spent little time running over towards it, falling down onto her knees as she immediately lapped up the waters like a thirsty animal, quenching her thirst as she splashed it about all over her face. It was so deliciously cool, though she lamented greatly on the fact that there was no way for her to bring it back to the grub. She would definitely bring him here once the sunset down, however, despite how long the trek would be. The grub deserved to play and rest in such a gorgeous place. Breathing in, the Dolorosa then slowly got up, staring down at her dirtied feet. 

Lifting her dress up, she then waded into the lake until she was at-least ankle deep, sighing out in pleasure as she felt the freezing cold waters underneath. It was quite the reliving sensation, especially after all the walking she had done. Once done, she stepped away from the waters, ignoring the wet sands underfoot while she made her way towards the nearest tree. Looking up, a smile spread across her face as she eyed at least four plump green fruits hanging from its leafy branches. These would surely be enough to feed the grub... Though then there was the issue of actually getting them. She had to try something, of course.

After a minute, the Dolorosa then took a few steps back before slowly circling around it, eying the fruit carefully. She'd never really climbed trees before, save for a few exceptions when she was younger, up in the desert and running errands. Stretching her body out, the jadeblood slowly took a few steps back, breathing in before mustering up the strength to move over towards the base of the tree. She spotted a few small gnarls and holes on the bark, using them as footholds as she then began her ascent up. She was nervous, of course. 

Her great height made her worry that the tree wouldn't support her, though to her surprise she found that it did. The bark underfoot was rough in texture, much like the soles of her feet, and she found that her strong toes helped greatly in holding on. She carefully shifted herself up higher, her foot catching on a small knot in the bark and helping to keep her stabilized as she stretched up higher. The fruit wasn't too far away now, and she reached for them with one arm, stretching her nimble fingers out. Grasping one of them, the Dolorosa smiled triumphantly, holding it underneath one arm before moving it in towards her lips, wherein she sampled off a small chunk with a soft bite. It was juicy and hard, with a slight acidic tinge to it, but overall very tasty. She'd save one for herself after feeding the grub. 

The Dolorosa proceeded to slowly collect the others, only managing to get around three more before she felt her toes slip. The jadeblood could do little but gasp before she fell straight down onto the soft ground, landing on her behind.Outside of some minor soreness, she was fine. Maryam carefully got up, and eyed the condition of the food, all intact save for being covered in some sand. Now that she had some food, it was time to get back to the hole. She'd left him alone long enough. As she made her way towards the riverbed, the Dolorosa took one last glance back the small oasis, sad that she had to leave this wonderful place so soon. Yet she'd felt even about leaving her poor grub behind, and she could easily return her with him later on once the sunset. The Dolorosa eventually walked away from the oasis, leaving it behind as she climbed up a small dune and headed back towards the riverbed. 

There were her footprints, leading on back towards the area near the hole. It had taken her some time to get her, and the clear sky was already just beginning to dark, bringing the Dolorosa to smile on a bit. It wouldn't be long now until she could take the grub up above-ground. She quickly hurried on, following her own tracks as she held onto the fruit. She didn't care about being careful this time; she just wanted to back as fast as she possibly could. Every second with the grub holed up alone tore away at her heart. Not long into her backtracking however, the Dolorosa noticed something quite strange on the ground, causing her to suddenly stop in her tracks... 

There were several other footprints alongside hers. 

She remained still for some time, eyes widened in shock and barely managing to hold onto the fruit she was carrying. These weren't animal tracks, as they were shaped closely to hers. Nomadic trolls? How could they have withstood the sunlight? Jadebloods rather ventured outside, and if they were looking for her they'd have sent out the Drones. These footprints didn't seem to have directly been following her anyway; the tracks trailed off in completely random directions, as if they'd been stumbling around blindly. They were still fresh, and the number of them suggested this was a whole group. 

The Dolorosa shook her head, her eyes darted around as she held onto the fruit and ran faster back, hoping that they had already left. In the distance, she could hear very faint groaning and gurgling coming from behind her, which only caused her to run even faster. Her carelessness led her to trip over a rock, scratching her ankle as she fell to the ground, the fruit falling out of her grasp. Maryam didn't have time to pick up the fruit before she turned and saw them approaching over a dune, shambling over to her as fast as their decayed legs allowed;

Undead, roughly four of them in varying levels of decomposition and damage. The one in front was missing its jaw, while another lacked both of its arms. Their skin was a burnt black color, and the sun continued to simmer their flesh, attracting a large cloud of hungry flies to them. One was practically a skeleton at this point, its bones barely held together by flimsy tendons. All the Dolorosa could do was gasp out, crawling backwards as they moved on towards her, moaning and hissing as they swiped the air. Before she could get up and make a run for it, the lead zombie suddenly lunged down at her, grabbing her bleeding ankle and sinking its claws into her skin as she screamed and thrashed. She managed to successfully kick it away, attempting to get up until she was forcefully pounced on by another zombie as its pack-mates surrounded her. She quickly got up and charged at one of the nearest undead, punching it across the face as she felt one of the zombies tear at her shawl, cutting through into her skin and drawing blood out. 

Maryam's heart raced intensely, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she blindly thrashed at them with one arm, the other clutching her wounds. She punched the armless undead hard across the face. The jawless one proceeded to suddenly grab one of her arms, its gnarled nails digging into her flesh as she kicked it across the stomach, raising her foot and then promptly stomping down its skull. Gooey maroon blood and brain juices sprayed between her toes, though as disgusting as it was she didn't care, being too preoccupied with fighting off her attackers. The Dolorosa quickly pulled the downed zombie's arm, using it to whack away one of the undead. Her cover had been let down though, allowing the armless zombie to kick her down as it's partner leapt down on her back, grabbing her hair as it viciously banged her head against the sand. She struggled to pull it off, rolling around on the sand before she shoved her shoulders up and managed to flip the zombie down against the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. 

She wasn't going to let some undead stop her from getting back to her grub. She wasn't going to stay helpless like in that nightmare.

Before the corpse could get up, she immediately stopped down on its exposed spinal cord, causing it to fall limp with a sick crack. Her victory was only short lived, for before she could turn around she was set upon by the last two remaining zombies, shoving her back down to the earth once more. It tore through her clothing, tearing apart the lower region of her dress and exposing her strong legs. This only allowed her to kick at one of them easily, pushing it off her as she got, panting. The two Zombies only circled her, hissing and gurgling as their rotted eyes blankly stared into space. Though she was tired and bleeding, the Dolorosa did not dare let her guard down, clenching her teeth before screaming out, lowering her head and charging at the armless Zombie. It was given no time to react before she gored its chest with both of her horns, piercing through its weak, decayed flesh. She pulled her horns out, ignoring the disgusting, slimy yellow blood dripping down to her scalp as she finished it off with an elbow to the face. The final undead charged towards her, its leg muscles still fresh enough to allow it to run. 

The Dolorosa quickly charged it down, throwing it to the sands as she screeched and pummeled its half-rotted face, brown blood spewing all over her face as it weakly groaned. Getting up, she put the poor creature out of it's misery by stomping on its face, rendering it limp as she felt blood seep all over her naked foot. Maryam didn't spend too much time reveling in her victory, however. Though her elegant shawl was in shreds and she was bleeding, the Dolorosa immediately ran to the fallen fruit, picking them all up as she ignored her ones and ran over towards the riverbed, following her tracks and memorizing the path back to the hole. She just wanted to get back home, now.

She'd left him alone for long enough.


End file.
